Securing an architectural finish element

Abstract: An earthquake, fire and wind resistant pre-fabricated building panel comprises a plurality of frame members. A solidified castable substance ( 636, 3010 ) is provided at a surface of the panel, and an architectural finish element ( 3000 ) is secured to a face of the panel by embedding hooks ( 3002 ) attached to the element ( 3000 ) in the castable substance ( 636, 3010 ) before it is set.

Description: This invention relates to a method of securing an architectural finish element to a surface, particularly, although not exclusively, a surface of an earthquake, fire and wind resistant pre-fabricated building panel for use in making a three-dimensional structure such as a house, apartment, office building or the like. A plurality of such panels is illustrated and described, a method of making such panels is described, examples of three dimensional structures according to the invention are described and a specially adapted shipping container for shipping components to build a three-dimensional structure is described in our copending European Patent Application No. 94984118.0 (Publication No. 0736124). Architectural finish elements in the form of files having on their rear engaging means for cooperating with an underlying castable material are known from FR-A-803 888. According to the present invention there is provided a method of securing an architectural finish element to a surface ultimately formed by a castable material, the method including the steps of: a) securing at least one projection to a backing surface of said architectural finish element such that said projection extends generally away from said backing surface; b) causing the or each projection to become embedded in the castable material; and c) permitting said castable material to set about said at least one projection, thereby firmly securing said projection in said castable material and securing said architectural finish element thereto, characterized in that the castable material is cast about a mesh material, the or each projection being inserted into said castable material before said castable material has set, until said backing surface rests on a surface of said castable material, the or each projection co-operating with said mesh material to engage therewith. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a perspective view of a house including a foundation, and floor, exterior wall, interior wall and roof panels; Figure 2 is a plan view of frame members included in an exterior panel; Figure 3 is a side view of a portion of a side frame member shown in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a face view of the frame portion shown in Figure 3; Figure 5 is a bottom view of the frame portion shown in Figure 3; Figure 6 is a face view of a portion of a top frame member shown in Figure 2; Figure 7 is a plan view illustrating a first assembly step in assembling the exterior panel; Figure 8 is a plan view illustrating a second assembly step in which the frame members are placed upon an insulating portion; Figure 9 is a plan view illustrating a third assembly step in assembling the exterior panel, in which tension cables are routed between frame members; Figure 10 is a plan view illustrating a fourth step in assembling the exterior panel, in which mesh portions are connected over panel portions of the panel; Figure 11 is a plan view of a completed exterior panel according to this embodiment of the invention; Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view of the completed exterior panel taken along lines "Fig. 12" of Figure 11 ; and Figure 13 is a layered view of an exterior panel, illustrating a method of securing an architectural finishing material to the panel. Figure 1 Referring to Figure 1 , a pre-fabricated house formed of foundation members and panels is shown generally at 10 on a building site 12 . The house includes a foundation shown generally at 14 , a first plurality of pre-fabricated first floor panels 20, a first plurality of pre-fabricated exterior wall panels 22 , a first plurality of pre-fabricated interior wall panels 24 , a second plurality of pre-fabricated second floor panels 26 a second plurality of pre-fabricated exterior wall panels 28, a second plurality of pre-fabricated interior wall panels 30 , a third plurality of pre-fabricated floor panels 32 , a third plurality of pre-fabricated exterior panels 34, a third plurality of pre-fabricated interior panels 36 and a plurality of pre-fabricated roof panels 38. Figure 2 Referring to Figure 2, the fabrication of an exterior panel according to the invention is begun by cutting to length first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh 2" X 4 " (5cm x 10cm) hollow steel tubing members as shown at 420, 422, 424, 426, 428, 430 and 432, respectively. The steel tubing members act as frame members for the panel and are arranged to provide a window opening 434 and first, second and third panel portions 436, 438 and 440. Frame members 420 and 432 have respective opposite end portions 442, 444, and 446, 448, respectively. Each of the end portions is similar and therefore only end portion 444 will be described but will be considered representative of each end portion. Figure 3 Referring to Figure 3, end portion 444 of frame member 420 is shown in greater detail. The frame member 420 has a longitudinal axis 450 extending centrally ofthe member. Inside and outside faces of the member are shown generally at 452 and 454 , respectively, the inside face being directed towards an interior of the first panel portion 436 and the outside face being directed outwards from the panel and forming a portion of an outer perimeter of the panel. The frame member 420 also has a side one face 456 and a side two face 458, best seen in Figure 24 . The side one face ultimately faces the interior of the house and the side two face ultimately faces the exterior of the house. Figures 3, 4 and 5 Referring to Figures 3, 4 and 5, the end portion 444 of Frame member 420 has secured thereto, a transversely extending plate 460. The plate has a cover portion 462 for covering the end portion of the frame member and has a lip portion 464 which extends inwards, towards the interior portion of the panel. The cover portion 462 has an opening 466 which permits access to a hollow interior portion 468 of the frame member. As with the floor panel, described previously, the hollow interior portion of the frame member permits utility service conduits to be routed therein. Referring to Figures 3 and 4 , the end portion 444 further includes a first transversely extending opening 470 in the side one face 456, a second transversely extending opening 472 in the side two face and a third opening 475 in the inside face 452 and first and second threaded openings 474 and 476 provided by first and second nuts 478 and 480 which are welded behind the side one 456 and side two 458 faces, respectively. The inside face 452 has secured thereto a right angled member 482 having a mounting portion 484 and an extending portion 486. The mounting portion is welded to the inside face while the extending portion 486 projects perpendicularly to the inside face, toward the interior of the first panel portion 436 . The extending portion has secured thereto a hook 488 having a hook portion 490 which is disposed in a first hook plane 492 adjacent the side one face 456, and a projecting pin portion 491 which projects parallel to the longitudinal axis 450, toward the plate 460. The inside face also has secured thereto a plurality of chair bolster hooks 494 similar to the chair bolster hooks depicted as Items 204 and 210 in Figure 7. Referring to Figure 22, the chair bolster hooks 494 are disposed in spaced apart relation, longitudinally along the frame member 420 and extend between the opposite end portions 442 and 444. Referring back to Figures 24 and 25, the chair bolster hooks have respective hook portions 496 disposed in a second hook plane 498 between the side one face 456 and the first hook plane 492. The plate 460 acts as a foot for supporting the frame member, the openings 466, 470, 472, and 475 provide access to utility service conduits inside the frame member. The threaded openings 474 and 476 are for securing the resulting panel to an adjacent panel and the extending portion 486 is for cooperating with an adjacent frame member of the same panel. The hook 488 is for cooperating with a tension cable for holding the panel together and the chair bolster hooks 494 are for holding a wire mesh in the second hook plane. Referring back to Figure 22 , the frame member 432 is similar to the frame member 420 and therefore requires no further description. Frame members 422 and 426 are however, slightly different from frame members 420 and 432 and therefore will now be described. Frame members 422 and 426 form upper and lower portions of the outer perimeter of the panel. Frame member 422 is divided into a first portion 500, a second portion 502 and a third portion 504. Frame member 426 is similarly divided into a first portion 506, a second portion 508 and a third portion 510. The first portions 500 and 506 form part of the first panel portion 436 while the second portions 502 and 508 form portions of the second panel portion 438. The third portion 504 of member 422 forms a portion of a window frame about window opening 434 and the third portion 510 of member 426 acts as a frame portion of the third panel portion 440. With the exception of the third portion 504 of member 422 adjacent the window opening 434, each of the above described portions has a respective plurality of chair bolster hooks, each indicated at 512 and has a plurality of tension cable hooks, each indicated at 514. Figure 6 Referring to Figure 6, the chair bolster hooks 512 each have respective hook portions 513 which lie in the second plane 498 . In addition, the tension cable hooks 514 have respective hook portions 515 which lie in a third hook plane 517. The third plane 517 is parallel to and spaced apart from the first and second planes 492 and 498, respectively. Referring back to Figure 2, the exterior panel further includes the frame members 424, 428 and 430 which are disposed intermediate the frame members 422, 424, 426 and 432. Frame members 424 and 430 are similar, mirror images of each other and therefore only member 424 will be described. Frame member 424 extends between frame members 422 and 426 . Member 424 has a longitudinal axis 519, a first end portion and a second end portion 520 and 522 . The first end portion 520 has a hook 524 which is similar to the hook 488 shown in Figure 24. The hook 524 has a hook portion 526 which lies in the same, first hook plane 492 as the hook 488 shown in Figure 24. Referring back to Figure 2 , the hook 524 also has a projecting pin portion 528 which extends parallel to the longitudinal axis 519 and which projects past the end portion 520 of the member. The second end portion 522 of frame member 424 has first and second hooks 530 and 532 similar to hook 524, disposed on opposite sides of the end portion. Each of these hooks also has respective hook portions 534 and 536 lying in the first hook plane 492 (not shown in Figure 2) and has respective projecting portions 538 and 540 projecting past the end portion 522. A right angled member 542 is secured to a side of the frame member 424. The right angled member has a projecting portion 546 which projects inwards towards the third panel portion 440. A further hook 548 having a projecting portion 550 and a hook portion 552 is secured to the projecting portion. The projecting portion 550 extends parallel to the longitudinal axis 519, toward the window opening 434. The hook portion 552 extends toward the third panel portion 440 and lies in the first hook plane 492 (not shown in Figure 2 ). The frame member 424 has a first intermediate portion 554 which is disposed between the first and second end portions 520 and 522 and has a second intermediate portion 556 which is disposed between the right angled member 542 and the second end portion 522. The first intermediate portion has a plurality of chair bolster hooks 558 secured thereto in spaced apart relation along the length thereof. Similarly, the second intermediate portion 556 has a second plurality of chair bolster hooks 560. Both the first and second pluralities of chair bolster hooks have hook portions disposed in the second hook plane 498 (not shown in Figure 2). Frame member 428 extends between frame members 424 and 430 and has a plurality of hooks 562 having hook portions (not shown) lying in the third hook plane 517 seen best in Figure 26. In addition, referring to Figures 2 and 6, frame member 428 has a plurality of chair bolster hooks 564 which have hook portions lying in the second hook plane 498. Frame member 428 also has openings indicated at 566 and 568 for receiving the projecting pin portions 550 of adjacent frame members 424 and 430. In addition, frame members 422 and 426 have respective openings 570 for receiving the projecting pin portions 491, 528, 538, 540, 532 and 530 of frame members 420, 424, 430 and 532, respectively. Figure 7 Referring to Figure 7 , before the frame members are connected together, a sheet of wire mesh 572 is cut into a "U" shape corresponding to the ultimate shape of the exterior panel. A vapour barrier 574 is similarly cut to shape and is placed on top of the mesh material 572. A styrofoam slab 576 having first 578, second 580 and third 582 panel portions is laid on top of the vapour barrier 574. The first, second and third panel portions 578, 580 and 582 are similar and therefore only panel portion 578 will be described. Panel portion 578 includes a plurality of longitudinally extending recesses 583 and cross-diagonal recesses 584 and 586, respectively. The panel portion also has longitudinal edge portions 588 and 590 which are recessed for receiving the frame members 420 and 424, respectively as will be described further below. Panel portions 580 and 582 have a similar construction and include a plurality of longitudinally extending recesses 592 and cross diagonal recesses 594 and 596, respectively. Figure 8 Referring to Figure 8, frame members 420, 422, 424, 426, 428, 430 and 432 are placed in corresponding recesses of the styrofoam slab 576. Respective projecting portions 491, 538 and 540 on each of the frame members are received in corresponding openings 570 in frame member 426 . Frame member 428 is then installed between frame members 424 and 430, the projecting portions 550 being received in openings 566 and 568 on opposite end portions of member 428, respectively. Finally, member 422 is placed adjacent the frame members 420, 424, 430 and 432 such that the projecting portions 528 and projecting portions 491 of respective frame members are received in corresponding openings 570 in frame member 422. At this point therefore, the frame is loosely connected together and lies in a flat frame plane parallel to the plane of the drawing sheet. At this time in the fabrication process, a recess 598 is cut longitudinally into a centre portion of the second panel portion 580 for receiving an electrical conduit 600 therein. The electrical conduit is connected to the frame member 426 by an electrical box 610 and is terminated in a second electrical box 612 operable to receive a standard wall socket cover. The conduit 600 is in communication with the hollow interior portion of frame member 426 and therefore electrical service conductors disposed in frame member 426 can be routed via conduit 600 to electrical box 612 to provide electrical service to a conventional wall receptacle (not shown) thereon. Figure 9 Referring to Figure 9, first, second and third tension cables 614, 616 and 618 are routed in longitudinal and cross diagonal recesses of respective panel portions. Separate turnbuckles 620,622 and 624 are used to tension respective tension cables 614, 616 and 618. The tension cable 614 is routed between the hooks 530, 526, 488, 514 in the first panel portion 436 such that portions of the cable lie in the diagonal recesses and portions of the cable lie in the longitudinal and transversely extending recesses. The second and third cables 616 and 618 are routed in a similar manner. Referring back to Figure 6 , the portions of the tension cables in the longitudinal extending recesses 583 and 592, respectively extend in the third hook plane 517 whereas the tension cables extending in the cross-diagonal recesses 586 and 596 lie in the first hook plane 492. Referring back to Figure 9 , the first, second and third tension cables 614, 616 and 618 act as biasing means for biasing the frame members inwardly, generally in the frame plane, towards the interior portion of the panel. The edge portions of the mesh material, indicated at 572 and 574 (in Figure 7 ) are then bent over the adjacent frame members such as shown generally at 626 in Figure 9. The edge portions are hooked onto the chair bolster hooks 494, 512 and 562 on adjacent frame members. Figure 10 Referring to Figure 10, first, second and third individual rectangular pieces of flexible mesh material 628, 630 and 632 are then cut to fit respective first, second and third portions 578, 580 and 582 and are placed over such portions. Edge portions of respective portions of the pieces of flexible mesh material are hooked onto adjacent hook portions of chair bolster hooks on respective adjacent frame members. Referring back to Figure 6, these hook portions such as indicated at 513 lie in the second hook plane 498 and thus the mesh material also lies in the second hook plane 498. Referring back to Figure 10 , a concrete retaining edge 634 is then welded to respective frame members bounding the first, second and third panel portions, respectively. A concrete mix is then poured over the mesh material 628, 630 and 632 such that the concrete flows through the mesh and into the longitudinal and cross-diagonal recesses of each panel portion. The concrete is poured and finished flush with the concrete retaining edge 634. The concrete thus has a finished planar surface (not shown) which is parallel to the plane of the drawing page of Figure 10. This smooth surface will ultimately face the interior of the house. The concrete used in construction of the panel may be of virtually any mix. The ratio of gypsum to gravel in the mix can be selected to suit the particular conditions under which the panel is to be used. Preferably, the mix includes a waterproofing agent such as epoxy resin which imparts to the resulting concrete an ability to prevent moisture ingress and a resilient flexibility useful in absorbing energy imparted to the panel by seismic activity or even shell-fire. In one embodiment in which the panel was used in the Pacific Northwest, the ratio of cement to sand to gravel to water to epoxy was approximately 1:2:4:1:0.05 . It will be appreciated that chips of marble, granite, crystallized sand mixed with water and any colour of cement may be used in the mixture to produce a good architectural base suitable for finishing. Figure 11 Referring to Figure 11, the panel is then turned upside down relative to its orientation depicted in Figure 10, whereupon a layer of stucco 636 is applied to the wire mesh 572 covering the first, second and third panel portions 436, 438 and 440, respectively. A window 638 may then be installed in the window opening 434. Alternatively, the window 638 may be installed after the panels are assembled to form the house. The finished exterior panel includes a generally rectangular portion 640 with first, second, third and fourth panel connecting portions 642, 646, 648 and 650, respectively. Referring to Figure 23, the connecting portions are portions of corresponding end portions of the longitudinal frame members 420 and 432. Figure 12 Referring to Figure 12, it may be seen that the portions of the tension cable 616 which extend in the longitudinally extending recesses 583 lie in the third plane 517, portions of the tension cable which lie in the diagonal recesses lie in the first plane 492 while the mesh 630 lies in the second plane 498. Each of the planes 492, 498 and 517 are parallel and spaced apart from each other. In addition, the concrete has a planar portion 660 in which the mesh 630 and the diagonal portions of the tension cable 616 are disposed. Rib portions such as shown at 662 extend perpendicularly to the planar portion 660, in the longitudinally extending recesses and in the diagonally extending recesses of the styrofoam slab 576. This has the advantage that the panel is able to withstand positive and negative loads. Figure 13 Referring to Figure 13, a finish to the panel is formed using a plurality of pre-formed conventional rectangular marble tiles, one of which is shown at 3000. The tiles are pre-fitted with a plurality of hooks shown generally at 3002 which are secured to the adhesive side of the conventional marble tile. Each hook has a flat backing surface portion 3004 which is glued to the adhesive or backing side of the tile. A projecting portion 3006 extends normal to the flat surface portion, away from the tile. The projecting portion is terminated in a hook portion 3008 which is arranged to project downward, toward the floor when the tile is used on a wall panel. The hook 3002 is preformed such that the distance between the adhesive side of the tile and the hook portion 3008 is equal to the approximate thickness of the concrete or stucco, designated in Figure 12 as 3010, but corresponding to the layer 636 in Figure 11. To use the marble tiles, the tiles are pre-fitted with hooks 3002. Then, after the concrete 3010 has been poured over the mesh 3012 of the panel (corresponding to the mesh 572 in Figures 7 and 12 ), but before the concrete cures, the tiles are placed on the concrete such that the hook portions 3008 project into the uncured concrete until the backing surface rests on the surface of the uncured concrete. In this position the hooks engage with the mesh 3012 , while the adhesive side of the tile contacts the uncured concrete. The panel is then left undisturbed while the concrete cures. The cured concrete firmly sets about the hooks and secures the hooks 3002 to the mesh 3012 and the tiles are securely fixed to the panel. It will be appreciated that the tiles need not necessarily be marble but may be of any suitable architectural finish such as rock, granite, slate, wood siding etc.

Claims: A method of securing an architectural finish element (3000) to a surface ultimately formed by a castable material (3010), the method including the steps of: a) securing at least one projection (3002) to a backing surface of said architectural finish element (3000) such that said projection (3002) extends generally away from said backing surface; b) causing the or each projection (3002) to become embedded in the castable material (3010); and c) permitting said castable material to set about said at least one projection, thereby firmly securing said projection in said castable material and securing said architectural finish element thereto, characterized in that the castable material (3010) is cast about a mesh material (3012), the or each projection (3002) being inserted into said castable material (3010) before said castable material (3010) has set, until said backing surface rests on a surface of said castable material, the or each projection (3002) co-operating with said mesh material (3012) to engage therewith. A method of securing an architectural finish element as claimed in Claim 1, characterized in that the step of inserting is preceded by the step of securing. A method of securing an architectural finish element as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the step of securing is preceded by the step of forming said at least one projection (3002) with a portion (3008) for engaging and hooking on to the mesh (3012) during the step of inserting.

Inventors: ABOU-RACHED ROGER GEORGES, ABOU-RACHED, ROGER GEORGES
Applicants: R A R CONSULTANTS LTD, R.A.R. CONSULTANTS LTD.
Application year: 1994
Main classification: E04F13
IPC codes: B28B23, E02D27, E04B1, E04F13, B28B11, E04H9